New York Governor Eliot Spitzer delivered a rousing swearing-in inaugural address today, after being sworn in officially earlier this week. Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell delivered her inaugural address earlier this week as well. From Rell’s speech:
[T]here is a great yearning in our state. A yearning for change, for improvement and also for greater equality. And yet there is a yearning for stability for preserving the history, the tradition and the uniqueness of Connecticut. …A restlessness to address disparities, meet unmet needs and chart a new course.
The challenges we will face along our journey will be many. For change, improvement and greater equality are rarely easily won. And the deep-seated problems confronting us in education, energy, health care, taxation and job creation are not easily solved.
And from Spitzer’s speech:
[W]hile I wish I could tell you that either a single election or a different party or even a new governor alone is enough to do this—I cannot. While I wish I could tell you that change will be easy—I don’t believe that you elected me to do what’s easy. Easy is spending your tax dollars without consequence or sacrifice. Easy is saying yes to supporters and no to opponents. Easy is looking the other way while costs rise, debts mount and families lose ground. …
We must embrace a progressive vision of government once more — a vision that upholds the values of individuality and community; of entrepreneurship and opportunity; of responsibility and fairness. …
And so on this day of unbridled hope and possibility, I ask you to think not only of the challenges and aspirations that you hold in your own hearts, but of those that are held in the collective heart of New York.
Massachusetts Governor-elect Deval Patrick will be in Springfield on Saturday, January 6 to deliver his inaugural speech as well. Folks in and around Worcester are getting a taste of that tonight, starting at 7:00 pm, with the first of Patrick’s inaugural receptions.
Michael Forbes Wilcox, blogging at BlueMassGroup.com, noticed that there may be some similarities between Spitzer and Patrick’s approaches to governing—or at least their approaches to inspiring the masses. I’m inclined to agree that "Massachusetts" could be substituted for "New York" in places throughout the address, and our governor-elect could seamlessly borrow the talk outright.
Being one to consider pavement more often than inspiring speeches, I’m drawn to New York City-based Streetsblog‘s take on Spitzer’s arrival in the governor’s office. Editor Aaron Naparstek wrote a post titled "Ten Things for Governor Spitzer to Fix," and the ideas include creating secure bicycle parking at major transit hubs as well as making a "real commitment" to pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Allowing bikes more easily on trains and buses also makes the list. Some might view these topics as too… pedestrian… for a high and mighty governor to consider, but I think Massachusetts could benefit from leadership on these matters, too.
